Tech Sales is for Hustlers

Think it’s easy to make the leap from SDR to Manager? Kaitlyn Garish has a small piece of advice for you – buckle your seatbelt! Kaitlyn, now a successful Commercial Account Manager at Invanti, has had an amazing start to her sales journey that has taken her from Silicon Valley to New York and now to Austin, TX. From her strong start as an SDR at memoryBlue to her elevation into SDR management and...

Imagine being so curious and committed to problem solving that you end up building a Google Sheet for sales reporting that nearly breaks the internet. Thaddeus Walsh is that guy – a sales pro who goes way beyond the call of duty because he takes time to really understand the heart of the matter. That “dive deep” style has led him to continuous success at every step of his career. Thaddeus, now a S...

Can a person be a YouTube star, a mastermind salesperson, and a company rep that keeps trying despite the obstacles? Meet Ruben Rosado, Account Executive at Confluent, a company that's slowly but surely winning in a digital-first world. Ruben has always wanted to work his way, and that's how he decided to get into sales. One of his first and most memorable experiences refers to selling t...

"It's not easy, but you have to want it. If you don't want it, it's not for you." That's what Carly Prunier, Sales Development Representative at Snyk, thinks about sales. She points out how important it is to be highly motivated, goal-oriented, and the wisdom it takes to succeed. Carly believes that building strong and sincere relationships with potential clients is t...

Sadie Kneuper, Enterprise AE at CB Insights, will tell you the difference between chatting and listening is simple – people chat, sales pros listen. And, as she explains to her team of SDRs during training, it’s the single best way to get to know your customer and help solve their problems. Sadie is a student of the game and was a Semi-Finalist in the memoryBlue 2021 Alumni of the Year competition...

He may have been born to drive fast cars, but Tommy Gassman certainly found sales to be the next best option. Tommy, a dedicated muscle car enthusiast, sports a decade-long track record of sales success at memoryBlue that makes him one of the most compelling figures in company history. He over-achieved as an SDR, helped create the firm’s first internal sales team, built it into a high-performance...

A college degree doesn't make someone a good salesperson or a great steelworker. Good salespeople understand other people, listen to them, and know-how to communicate with them. Other things that define a salesperson include curiosity, empathy, appreciation, and even tolerance. But can students learn those things in college, or these qualities come naturally? Dr. Wayne Keene, a professor at t...

No matter what you do for a living, you’re in sales. And Deirdre Jones makes sure all of her students understand this important lesson. Deirdre is the Director of the Edward H. Schmidt School of Professional Sales at the University of Toledo, and few can match her passion for professional sales. She often tells students a sales course in college could be the single most important and applicable cl...

Sales is an often-misunderstood profession, and it’s not always a “top of mind” career path for college students.  Yet through his dedicated efforts in higher education, Tim Butler is working to change all of that.  As the Director of the Steele Center for Professional Selling at the University of North Alabama, Tim is pioneering a sales program that is changing the lives of the students by settin...

In the new episode of Campus Series, Riley Dugan joins Libby Galatis and Kristen Wisdorf to discuss sales. Riley is a professor of marketing at the University of Dayton and very passionate about his calling. He believes persuasion is the heart of everything we do.  Riley is a big fan of experiential learning. In his courses, students have the chance to participate in role-plays and learn the skill...

If you’re serious about prepping college students for the professional world, why not put them in the position to manage right away? The most powerful lessons Greg Accardo, the first Director of the LSU Professional Sales Institute at the LSU College of Business, teaches his students is about the daunting transition from college to a career. Greg’s unique approach to education helps them prepare f...

What defines a successful salesperson? Is it an innate talent or raw skill development? Dr. Terry Loe believes the key is even more fundamental - harnessing a competitive nature. Dr. Loe is the Director of Development and External Relationships at the Center of Professional Selling at the Kennesaw State University. And he will tell you the best salespeople are those who desire to win, hate to lose...

If you get the right educator, college sales classes can offer you real-world skills that will help you thrive regardless of your future industry. Andrew Loring is the right educator. Andrew is changing students’ lives as the Associate Director of the Reynolds and Reynolds Sales Leadership Institute and he is a Senior Lecturer at Texas A&M University. In his universe, it doesn’t matter who you...

If you're going to play sports, you must put in the work and overcome many challenges to be at the top of your game. Even at the top of your game, you will still sometimes fail, but that didn't stop Anton Cardenas. His sports background taught him to have grit and overcome challenges which propelled him to become the rockstar salesperson he is today.  Anton details his professional journ...

Don’t tell Kurtis Michela the age-old adage, “You can never go home again.” His successful career proves precisely the opposite, in fact. Despite the possibility of joining the family office furniture business early on, Kurtis forged his own path when he launched a sales career with memoryBlue. That journey took him from coast to coast and exposed him to a wide variety of companies, products, and,...

If you want adventure in your professional life, it doesn’t get more daring than traveling halfway across the country to open the first remote office in company history. Because Nimit Bhatt embraced that challenge, memoryBlue was forever changed for the better. Nimit’s career journey mirrors the growth and evolution of our company. He started as an SDR in the HQ office – the only office at the tim...

In this episode of Campus Series, you will meet Richard Tate, a professor at James Madison University. He talks about his unique and exciting period in the Navy and sales and how it has influenced his teaching. As a professor in the marketing department, Richard Tate encourages students to seize career opportunities and overcome obstacles during the process. It is important to overcome the fear of...

Do you have to be an extrovert to become a successful salesperson? How do you prepare for your first job interview? And how to pick a good company for your first job in sales? April Schofield is here to answer these questions for us.  April teaches sales courses at the Metropolitan State University of Denver, where she’s also the Director of Center for Professional Selling. After being a salespers...

Tiffany Dunn used sales as a tool to carve out her own unique career path, and that’s only scratching the surface of the matter.    A self-admitted introvert, Tiffany wasn’t shy about leaving her mark on memoryBlue. She succeeded in multiple roles at the firm before ultimately creating her own dream job right within our walls as the first Salesforce administrator in company history.  Today Tiffany...

Hockey and sales parallel nicely.  Tim Fabian, a former college hockey player and hockey coach, will tell you getting knocked down and popping back up is integral to both crafts. Tim grew up in upstate New York where he studied political science, initially considered law school and dreamed of a career on skates. But life had other plans for him.   He eventually found an interest in sales and he st...

Whether we want to admit it or not, sales is in every part of our lives. The way we make agreements or negotiate is the same way salespeople close deals. Even when we apply for a job, and we are asked to come for an interview, we present our skills and experience in a way so as to sell them to the "buyer" (potential employer). But what is it like to be a professional salesperson? Brian C...

Picking a career is not an easy task, especially when you’re a young student fresh out of college. Luckily for students at the Catholic University of America, they have Mark Weber to guide them towards success.  Mark spent more than 30 years in high-tech sales leading sales teams and hiring sales representatives. Now he’s a different kind of leader, helping college kids get into the business and,...

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into a potential $500K+ deal for nearly a full year, only to lose and find out the winning company had it in the bag the whole time due to a personal connection. As Trey Surber will tell you, some sales lessons are powerfully painful. But through those lessons, Trey, now a successful Account Executive at Tableau, forged a winning sales philosophy built on repeat...

While you’re reading this, James Adeyanju has his head down, outworking you. That’s an instinct you learn quickly as a major D1 college athlete – always stay one step ahead of the competition. After playing on a scholarship at Big Ten football powerhouse Wisconsin and graduating, James left football behind and threw himself into the world of professional sales. With zero experience but 100% enthus...

Micah Asohan's professional journey starts with his relocation from Michigan to DC, and later to Texas, and back to Michigan. Micah likes adventures and challenges. He believes in hard work, loyalty, and taking the initiative. Professional choices allow him to combine his two passions- sales and traveling.  Micah was born and raised in Big Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from high school,...